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The Job Hunt – Professional Librarianship v. Whatever You Can Get

I had a conversation today that made me remember the internal debate many of us (including myself) go through when we first graduate – namely, do we hold out for a professional librarianship position or do we apply for whatever's available?

I know there are people reading this who fall into both camps so I thought I'd try to summarize the arguments for each.

I also want to
stress that I'm not making judgments here – I think both are valid
options and I recognize that we all do whatever works for us as
individuals.  So with the patented Hammond Disclaimer out of the way…

Only Professional Librarianship Positions
– that's what you went to school for (duh!)
– for the most part, professional librarian jobs pay more than a library assistant/library tech position
– someone once told me that you only have one chance to set your entry level spot into a profession.  That resonated so I'm including it here.
– there are people out there who feel that other MLIS grads taking anything less than a professional librarianship position somehow devalue the entire profession
[edit
added via someone's e-mail comment – like it or not, there is a library
caste system which means that you will be treated differently than the
other “real” librarians if you're not in a capital-L *Librarian* position.  This
ranges from not being invited to PD opportunities to social functions
that the librarians have.]

Take Whatever's Offered and/or Available First
– bills don't pay themselves
– often a clerk/tech/assistant job gets you that foot in the door that allows you bid on internal positions (ie. in a union environment)
– it's a good way to get frontline experience that will serve you well for your entire career, especially if you've never worked in libraries before and/or are going to end up managing people doing the jobs that you start out in.
– some people are able to return to positions (the same or similar) in libraries where they worked before, retaining their seniority/benefits and reserved seat in the coffee room.

Have I missed anything?  I'm whipping this list off the top of my head pretty quick.  Personally, when I had this internal debate, I was really close to applying for a couple library assistant-type positions early in my job search when they were the only things out there.  But I decided to hold out at least for a bit longer and it worked out in the end (though I'm very conscious that it could have easily gone the other way.) 

Posted 07 September 2007 § Jobs § Library § LibrarySchool § List § Main Page ‡ Comments (10) °

Pace's Day of Firsts

Pace laughed out loud for the first time today, went for his first swim in a real pool and then had his first time in a shower afterwards.  What a busy day!

Posted 06 September 2007 § Baby § Main Page § Video ‡ Comments (0) °

MeeMix Invites

I have a few if anybody's interested.  Post a comment or e-mail me off-list

Meemix is a music service halfway between Pandora and last.fm.  (Er, holy shit – when did Pandora shut down to users outside the US?)

Anyhow, hopefully Meemix is still up since it's even better than Pandora in many ways.

“Imagine a world of music – sorted by the songs you love. Imagine
broadcasting the soundtrack of your life to an audience around the globe.
Feel the magic and find your rhythm at MeeMix. Internet radio that gets you.”

Posted 05 September 2007 § Main Page § PopCulture ‡ Comments (3) ° Tagged:

Happy Labour Day (Reflections ofa New Father at Three and a Half Months)

I know Labour Day is about another type of struggle but I thought I'd take this pun-based opportunity to talk about how it's been to be a first-time father for the last three and a half months:

– all other milestones (driver's license, graduations, marriage) pale in comparison to the one where your life changes from “don't have children” to “have children”.  (I guess the milestone of alive/dead would be an even bigger change but I haven't heard too many reports from the other side for comparison's sake.)

– your free time evaporates and (for the most part) you don't care.  I think I wrote recently that I watch absolutely no TV these days and do a lot less reading.  Obviously I do still spend time on the Net but that's about the only indulgence I allow myself.  And surfing the Net is definitely something that gets interrupted a lot more than it did before.

– you don't mind being interrupted to change diapers, wipe drool, fetch things for mommy when she's feeding the baby or whatever.

– you quickly gain the ability to ignore contact with bodily fluids that previously would have probably made you puke (uhm, including puke.)

– baby's firsts are all amazing – from first coo to first poo.

– even more amazing than the baby smiling at you (which is unbelievably cool) is when you can tell the baby is trying to communicate with you…you babble and it babbles back, you make a face and it makes a face back.

– when your baby makes the leap from sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time to sleeping for 5-7 hours (around five weeks for us) is possibly the single best moment of the first three months outside of the actual birth.

– it's not as expensive as you think it might be, especially if you're  willing to use second-hand and garage sale clothes, furniture and toys. 

– babies make good free weights.  My arms are probably stronger than anytime since high school.  (The rest of me, not so much.  But I expect this to change too as soon as he gets mobile.)

– according to the photos on Shea's Flickr account, apparently one of the main reasons we had a baby was to dress him up in embarrassing outfits, sort of like a real life Cabbage Patch Doll.

– the best thing we bought was a battery-powered baby swing (aka “the Neglectomatic” (c) – The Poo Bomb web site)

– even if you pick a name that has, just an an example, four letters and is a fairly common English-language word, people will still ask you “how do you spell that?”

Finally, Ask MetaFilter happened to have a thread recently from someone looking for good books for first-time, clueless parents. 

The thread has lots of good comments and advice including a slight derail as some person named “Jaybo” gets into a brief debate with another poster about whether it's better to think of breastfeeding as being potentially hard and being pleasantly surprised if it's not versus thinking it's easy and being disappointed if it turns out not to be. 

Posted 04 September 2007 § Baby § List § Main Page ‡ Comments (0) °

Five Non-Library Blogs I Read

This meme was going around awhile back but I never picked up on it.  But apparently a couple days ago was “Blog Day” where…

…on August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will
post recommendations of 5 new Blogs, preferably Blogs that are
different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this
day, blog readers will find themselves leaping around and discovering
new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new
bloggers.

I mostly read blogs of people I know, former classmates and things connected to my interests such as libraries and technology-related blogs.  So I doubt there will be anything too surprising here.  But anyhow…

1. JeromeMartin.ca – “A Journal of Photography, Publishing, Music, Technology and Travel”
– Jerome is the publisher of Spotted Cow Press in Edmonton. I met him during one of our annual Tri-Province Publisher's Forums when I worked for the Saskatchewan Publishers Group.  He's into many of the same things I am – technology, books & publishing plus he's originally from Saskatchewan – so I always find something of interest to me in his well-written blog.  (Interesting coincidence – his daughter was finishing at FIMS the semester I started.  I didn't find this out until later and we never met in person but I found that she has a blog too.  She's a librarian at the University of Windsor, I believe.)

2. Giant Political Mouse
– a lefty blog mostly concerned with Saskatchewan politics.  I wonder if Saskatchewan has the most political-related blogs per capita in the country.  It sometimes feels like it.

3. The Rude Pundit
– another political blog, this one focused on the US.  “Rude” doesn't quite do justice to this blogger's writing style – if foul language and/or discussion of the gimp that Karl Rove keeps in the White House basement offends you, don't say I didn't warn you!

4. The Lefsetz Letter
– lots of good commentary on the current state of the music business by a blogger I discovered watching “The Hour” with George Alphabet.  Has the extra ranty goodness of RANDOM ANGRY CAPITALIZATION!

5. Carpe Diem Chris
When FIMS PhD student, Chris Dixon died earlier this summer, I wrote about my connection to him and about how news of his passing affected me more than I thought it would have.  Later, I was sent an e-mail by his wife (who he'd married less than a year earlier) which said that she'd started a blog to commemorate Chris' life. 

I've written a lot about how I'm intrigued by the concept of “Digital Footprints” and this is another manifestation – how, prior to the digital age, grief and mourning was a private act but now, it is something that is public, not just for family and friends but anybody who happens to hit the “Random” button on Blogger at the right time. 

Sandra writes about this new development herself:

This morning's G&M had an interesting story entitled The Modern Way of Mourning
which discusses changes in North American mourning – from private to
public – as embodied in things such as roadside memorials for accident
victims and Facebook tributes. I too am a participant in this change by
creating this blog in memory of Chris where friends and family can
share stories and grief. I must admit that I am still conflicted by
this decision to “let it all hang out”.


Is this a good or a bad thing?  Unsurprisingly if you've read this blog for very long, I think this is (potentially) a great thing – if done right.  What is right?  Hard to say as the line will be different for everyone.  But I think memorial blogs/web sites shouldn't be too maudlin, they shouldn't make the deceased into a flawless, perfect creature and it shouldn't be abandoned after one or two posts. 

The posts that Sandra has made so far have been a perfect embodiment of what I think a memorial blog should be.  By including old photos and anecdotes from friends and family as well as her own personal thoughts and insights, I feel like I know Chris in a way that I probably never would've otherwise, even if we'd known each other for years.  The posts so far have been, by turn, fun, heart-warming and crushingly sad. 

It's beyond obvious to say that it's unfortunate that somebody has to die to get this level of insight about them.  But just as the name of that blog implies, it's also a reminder to all of us to seize the day.

Posted 03 September 2007 § Blog § List § Main Page § Meme ‡ Comments (4) °

Friday Late Link – IBM Doesn't Track Employee Holidays (Aug 31, 2007)

This week’s post is a bit late because apparently there is something
called “real life” that happens “outside”, occasionally in places where
there are no “Internets.” Whodathunkit?

Anyhew, I recently
came across an article which noted that most conservative of
corporations, Big Blue itself, IBM, apparently has had a policy since
the mid-1990’s where they don’t track employee holiday time. For anyone in their organization. Period.

It’s
every worker’s dream: take as much vacation time as you want, on short
notice, and don’t worry about your boss calling you on it. Cut out
early, make it a long weekend, string two weeks together — as you like.
No need to call in sick on a Friday so you can disappear for a fishing
trip. Just go; nobody’s keeping track…Instead, for the past few years,
employees at all levels have made informal arrangements with their
direct supervisors, guided mainly by their ability to get their work
done on time. Many people post their vacation plans on electronic
calendars that colleagues can view online, and they leave word about
how they can be reached in a pinch.

The article does mention that this often lead to a
situation where people blur the lines between work and home even
further. At IBM, employees actually end up working more than they
otherwise might have due the peer pressure inherent in such a driven
work culture.

The article also notes that companies that
implement similar policies are often technology-based which means that
employees can easily work from outside the office and that this type of
arrangement won’t work in any sector (retail, food services, etc.)
where set hours are required.

So maybe “make your own
holiday schedule” would work for library management. But it likely
wouldn’t for front-line staff. Or would it? Hmmm…

Posted 02 September 2007 § FridayFunLink § Jobs § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (0) °

My First Kiss

(He's a charmer, just like his old man. )
Posted 29 August 2007 § Baby § Humour § Main Page § Photo ‡ Comments (0) °

I'm Still Trying To Figure Out This Reading Thing

Posted 29 August 2007 § Baby § Main Page § Photo § PopCulture ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Mother Teresa Was An Atheist…

…for the last 50 years of her life!

(I can't help but add a slightly snarky, “Well, I guess that means there's hope for everyone!” )

On a related note, for someone whose very name is synonymous with sainthood, er, she wasn't.

Posted 28 August 2007 § Main Page ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

A Really Boring Stream of Consciousness Entry

I've had lots of links, pics and videos lately so why not a rollicking ramble through things happening recently in my life for a change?

Pace
…is a drool monster and we figure he's starting teething.  He's 15.3 lbs at 3 months and wearing clothes that are sized for a 6-9 month old.  He sleeps 5-6 hours at a time which is the best thing EVER.  He's a lot more alert and human now – playing with his hands, focusing on faces for extended periods.  Oh, and he's giggling and laughing up a storm and I can't help but wonder why, from an evolutionary standpoint, didn't babies develop the ability to laugh and smile at birth instead of needing a couple months for it to happen?  I'd be much more likely to save a happy baby than one who cries and bawls non-stop.  That's just asking to be left for the wolves.   Speaking of danger, Pace went for a boat ride today.  He lived.

Shea
…is loving being a mom and living in Weyburn with her parents during the week.  As you can tell by Pace's weight, breastfeeding is going exceptionally well.  Her Facebook addiction is only growing stronger. 

Work
It's hard to believe I'm about to begin my sixth month of an 18-month contract already.  Mostly because of Pace, this summer has flown quicker than any I can remember.  I've said before that I won't write too much about my work but I will mention that I'm dealing with everything from kids with head lice to regulations governing regional library boundaries and all points in between.

Garage Sales
Shea and I love going to garage sales but haven't all summer, again, for obvious reasons.  But this weekend, we went Thursday night in Weyburn, Friday night on the way into Regina and then all day Saturday with Shea's brother and his girlfriend.  I bought a crapload of books (as usual).  Pace also got a Spiderman doll and an electric guitar toy that I already find annoying, even though I was the one who bought it for him.  Best rule for garage sales?  Put up balloons people!

A Tale of Two BBQ's
Shea had her end-of-summer work BBQ last night and I had mine this afternoon at Nickel Lake Regional Park just outside of Weyburn.  Both were good but Shea's was better in a way because she hadn't seen many of her co-workers since starting her maternity leave and many hadn't met Pace yet (who was a total angel for three hours.)  Mine was better because we had steak instead of burgers.

Television
What's that?  Seriously, the only TV I watch lately is the news at noon and at 6pm (because Shea's parents do) plus the occasional episode of The Daily Show.  That's it.  We do try to rent and watch a movie or two every weekend though whether we can get through them is always up to Pace.

Books
I do get to do some reading done though probably not up to my usual book per week average.  I've just started Sixpence House about an American couple who move to Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town with 1500 people and 40 bookstores.  Very good so far.  I also read The Starfish and the Spider about the concept of leaderless organizations which was also really good.  In fact, it's a shock to be a guy who all of a sudden reads and enjoys
management books having spent a lifetime as the guy who would probably
make fun of those who do so.

I guess that's it.  Later…

Posted 27 August 2007 § Baby § Main Page § PopCulture § Shea § Work ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: